Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1887-01-28
THE STORY OF A BOOK.
BY BENJAMIN NoRTHRUP.


The housemaid had found it in an old
cedar box in the attic and put it beside
a volume Of Dickens on the middle shelf
Of the library bookcase. 1t was little,
square, green covered, dog-earcd, round
corncred geography. 1t was published
when the art Of geography making was
comparatively speaking, in its infancy.
Its maps had blue seas, green, red, white,
yellow, purple, brown and many other
colorcd lands, and it was embelIished
with odd pictures of still odder people
dressed more singuarly still who have
become entirely extinct long since the
artist who drew them died, if the geog-
raphies Of the present day are reliable in
their illustrations
The advent of this old-fashioned vol
umc among the richly bound books in
the library caused nutter Of excitement
not unmingcd with indignation.
81 can't see for the life of me-" ex-
Claimed collection Of Matthew Arnold's
essays, "why this common book should
force himself upon our company"
''No, nor J." responded the Dickens
novel, sharply. 'If this library is to be
turned into literary junk shop we
might as well be in secondhand store
at once"
Eyes, indeed" echoed in unison a
row Of scotts novels, which stood like
line of British soldiers with bright red
suits, on an opposite shelf.
Come, what have you got to say for
yoursef9' inquired gruff old Ben John
son, "What made you stick yourself
in here against our conscnt?
81 didn't want to come" answered
the Geography mildly. 'Indced
didn't. 1t wasn't my fault. was ly-
ing in the old cedar chest in the attic,
where l have lain ever since she grew
up and where would have been now
but"
"she1" interrupted Dickens. "Who
is she, pray2'
"Why, don't you know hera replied
the Geography in amazement. 81
thought you must know her. She used
to study me when she was a little
pink-faced girl, years and years ago.
She and Jack studied me together
They were very fond of me, and l sup
pose that is the reason l have been kept
so long"
" JackT" again inquired the inquis-
tive Dickens, 'who Is jack"
"Jack," continued the Geography, en-
Enthusiastically, twas the handsomest boy
ever knew, and l knew whole gener-
alton of boys and girls too. l ought to
know them well, for l was read,
thumbed and studied by them for nearly
forty years before JACK found me on the
book shelf in his fathers library, where
his older brother had left me when he
finished school and went to sea-"
"That doesn't explain how you hap
pened to be here" interposed Ben JON
son, rudely. "Come tell us that"
81 was just about to tell you," con
tinued the Geography. 'rYou see,
Jack took ne to school with him the
very first day he went there. 1t was
the little red school house under the hill.
You probably know it. No2 l thought
everyone knew where that was. The
master was very strict and very cruel, so
| used to think, and every day he used
to whip nearly all the boys and keep
half the girls in at recess. Just because
they whispered, and l tell you that
boys and girls can't keep from whisper
ing in school any more than from breath
ing. l said nearly alp the boys. Jack
was one he didn't whip. Why2 Jack
was cripple. How did that happen2
I'll tell you. Phillis-she was Jacks
sweetheart the prettiest girl in all
the school. She was younger than Jack
just year. He was twelve and she
eleven, and they loved each other just
as much as people a good deal older than
they were, if not little more. One
day after school Jack and Phillis were
sliding down the school hill on Jacks
big sled'~ The master was out watching
them. The road didn't run straight
down the hill, but wound around down
through a small grow: of trees. The
road had been covered with water and
was ice from top to bottom and the
sleds flew faster than the wind as they
went down. This afternoon Phillis sat
in front Of the sled, her little red stock
ings curled up under her dress, while
Jack held on behind and steered with
his leg. They started--the last slide
they had-from the top, and were going
faster than they had ever gone before, when
Phlllis gave little scream and caught
hold of the sled tighter than ever. Jack
looked over her shoulder and saw log
sled, piled high with logs, crossing the
road. How fast they were going, and how
slowit crept alongl The seconds seemed
like years. They could't possibly turn out,
for it was in the very middle of the grove
1t didn't take Jack long to make up his
mind what to do. With quick sweep
of his leg he turned the sled sideways.
He couldn't stop it, but he could make
the end where he sat hit the logs first.
a second later Phillis was lying in a